Workshops

Please join me on March 10th from 12-4 for The Craft of Braiding Workshop in San Francisco, hosted by Edo Salon.

This is a workshop that I am very excited to share, as braiding is such a passion for me and it is a beautiful art/craft to share. In this class, you will learn the basic fundamentals of braiding to strengthen your braid foundation and understanding. You will learn many different tricks and techniques and different types of braids. You will learn how to combine braids together to create unique hairstyles. This class will help you unlock your creativity and confidence in your own braiding skills for in-salon styling, bridal styling, and great hair at home.

You will leave this class with the skills and tools to forge your own braid journey of future learning and experimenting, and braid creation. You will be able to look at any braid and understand it’s mechanics, and do it yourself. You will have the ability to perform endless possibilities of different braids and braid combinations on your clients, friends, and yourself.

You will also leave this class with a deeper understanding why the beauty of braiding goes beyond the surface, and why it is such an important skill to learn.

This is a hands-on workshop with demos, and you will each have our own models which will be provided.

Who this class is for:

This class in for those who already know how to french braid confidently. If you do not know how to french braid, this class will likely move to fast for you.

If you are a practiced french-braider, then all are welcome whether you are a stylist or not.

*This class will focus on straight or pre-straightened hair, because it is the most straightforward to learn on. I will be offering a curly braid class and am in the process of widening my skills and connecting with braiders who work with natural textured hair as well. My hope is to be able to offer this class in the future taught and attended by a wider variety of hair types and traditions.

If you are in the Vermont area, please join Henna Artist Rebecca Freedner and I for a day of nourishing Winter Adornment. We will be offering ritual braids and henna in Rebecca’s cozy studio in Vergennes Vermont, February 25th. Pre-register here.

I find more and more the importance of helping facilitate healing through connection, creativity and interaction. I believe that we all have inside of us the power to heal ourselves, and we can be support to each other in our healing by creating sacred space, allowing room for play and expression, and bearing witness to each other’s stories.

By healing, I mean anything that helps bring us home to our true self, be it physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, creatively.

In Arkansas, I had the pleasure of sharing a Floral Mandala-making class with folks of all ages, we walked outside, collecting beautiful offerings from nature to use in our designs, and then quietly created mandalas, shared laughs, and ate chocolate. I was in heaven, and would love to share this class as much as possible. It is such a beautiful and sweet tool for opening the creative heart and bringing us home to ourselves and the world around us, wherever we are.

Later that night, I offered braids to a circle of women (and one sweet baby) who shared stories, thoughts, tea, and more chocolate. Thanks to Sadie and Mom and Pop Shoppe for hosting!What a day. I felt tired yet so full by the end of the day. I felt at home in myself.

I hope one day a big huge group of us here in this community at HTHG can get together for braids, flowers and chocolate. Let’s make it happen.

This last photo was shot by Kara Iribarren on a perfectly naked day in the Ozarks.

How is everyone? I am doing quite fine today, after what seems like endless sickness and stress and a constant grasp for balance in my house as the Fall has set in. To what do I attribute a change in my attitude lately after a recent rough patch in life? A string of good hair days, if you can believe it;)

And, also, just settling in to the adjustment of having two kids at school and a bit of an empty nest.

I am getting ready to embark on a series of little journey’s around the US, where I will be offering different classes and workshops along the way. First stop Portland for Hair and the Moon with Stefani Padilla, then Arkansas for Filth And Beauty Mandalas, LA for Mercado Sagrado, and SF for Divining the Spectrum..

I keep waiting for anxiety and fear to set in……Speaking if front of people can be very hard for me. But I keep coming back to the feeling of actual bliss and excitement, no negativity…..just eagerness and full-heartedness. Could this be because I am going to be sharing such important parts of my own heart and I am actually incredibly honored to step into this role of teaching people face to face, people who actually really want to learn what I have to teach? I really really like this feeling. Thank you to all who are here ( Big sparkling hearts!!! Wish I had emojis for the blog.)

Today I want to introduce you to a few offerings I have coming up, and invite you to join if you are in the area!

Mercado Sagrado

If you are in the LA area, come see me Mercado Sagrado, a beautifully curated Art and Maker Fair in Malibu Canyon. I will be offering braiding sessions and mindful haircare/ritual consultations and sessions. I will have all my small-batch hair remedies and potions in tow, as well as some brand new hair tools and adornments for sale like this gorgeous brass hair comb made exclusively for HTHG by Nikki Jacoby. Please do come by for a visit!

Filth and Beauty Mandalas

In collaboration with the Be Awakened Folk Studio in Fayetteville Arkansas, I offer my love for the beauty of our natural world and my tools for divining endless creative inspiration for life by noticing, connecting with, and using the flora and fauna around me to design straight from the heart. In this class, we will talk about the meditative and healing practice of creating mandalas, and learn to trust our instincts and tap into our creative flow through this beautiful and timeless devotional practice.